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The Friends' five-member Board of Directors have two openings with terms beginning in March of 2025. Mark Pelton is stepping down after serving two consecutive terms. Rebecca Ressl is completing her first term and is eligible for a second term.
The Board works in partnership with the Friends' staff and with Dane County Parks to preserve and restore the parkland and to lead programs and events in support of the Friends' goal to connect the community with rural history, the land, and one another. A priority of the Board is to provide visitors with the opportunity to engage with rural heritage and with nature. The Board is also focused on reaching families moving to Waunakee, Westport, DeForest, Windsor, and other rapidly growing areas, and providing programs for demographics with less access to nature
Board members are volunteers serving 3-year terms. The Board meets monthly to conduct business, establish direction and policy, develop programming, coordinate activities, and manage the budget. This is a working board and outside of monthly meetings, each board member is active supporting operations, programming, and events. Service as a board member requires a high level of commitment, a willingness to wear multiple hats, and an enthusiasm to support one another and the staff.
The Board is particularly interested in applicants with skills in fundraising, community engagement, education, and event planning. All backgrounds are welcome to apply though. The only requirement is an enthusiasm for Schumacher Farm and dedication to work with a small board and staff to continue growing the Friends' prairie restoration, education programs, and community events.
If the above sounds like a fit we would love to hear from you!
The Friends’ Nominating Committee is accepting nominations now through January 15, 2025. Please contact the park office if you would like to learn more and/or are interested in being considered for a board position:
Email: info@schumacherfarmpark.org
Phone: 608-846-4559
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This year, we held our annual Heritage Fest on September 7th. We welcomed about 700 guests to the farm to explore the historic farmyard, old fashioned handicrafts, antique machinery, and adorable farm animals. A big thank you goes out to our sponsors - The Village of Waunakee and the Alliant Energy Foundation - for supporting this year's event. We also appreciate the support from Costco and the Willy St Coop for donating food supplies for the event. And finally, we want to thank all our dedicated board members and volunteers for making this beloved event happen for another year. What a great way to kick off fall!
You can see more photos here.
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Our biggest event of the year - Halloween on the Farm - was held on October 19th, and it was a fantastic evening! We welcomed nearly 1,000 folks who enjoyed a variety of fun activities: balloon animals, a magic show, haunted wagon rides, fortune tellers, crafts, storytelling, a witch's house, garden scavenger hunt, face painting, and more!
We continue to expand our reach to new families and communities, so we strive to make the event bigger and better each year. Halloween takes a huge amount of planning and organization, we want to thank our dedicated board members for their leadership. We also want to thank all the volunteers for making the event happen, the MG&E Foundation for their sponsorship, and Milio's, Jimmy John's and Piggly Wiggly for donating refreshments for our volunteers.
See more photos by Rona Neri here.
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This fall we began a new pilot program, Kids on the Farm. This program is held every Wednesday at 5:30 pm and is free and drop-in. Every week, we explore mindfulness, creativity, and nature through stories, movement, and songs. Activities are geared toward kids 5 and under (including babies) with an adult, but all ages and abilities are welcome. Our main goal for this program is to offer an inclusive activity for all to enjoy. Please share with anyone you think may be interested!
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Bring the family to the park for the seasonal events we have planned for 2025! Winter on the Farm is scheduled for Sunday, January 26th 1-3 pm and will have snowshoeing, winter crafts, and snowy games.
Spring on the Farm is scheduled for Sunday, April 27th from 1-3 pm and will have kites, guided hikes, and spring crafts.
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New this year, we will host a Summer Lawn Party on Wednesday, June 18th! This event was inspired by Marcella Schumacher who would host local and international students at her family's farm for what they called "lawn parties". The picture above was taken at one of these lawn parties here at the farm!
All three of these seasonal events are family friendly, free, and drop in. Please mark your calendars!
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One of the things that makes us such a unique park is the ability to host a variety of workshops in our spaces. We recently held a Nature Suncatcher Making workshop for children and adults, and have Lefse Making, Wreath Making, and Yule Log Decorating coming up soon. Here's a look at what else we have upcoming:
We are actively adding more workshops for early 2025, so stay tuned!
Our workshops do tend to sell out, so register early if interested.
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For the first time, the Friends of Schumacher Farm are going to be in the Light the Night Parade! The parade will head down Main Street on Friday, December 6th from 6:30-7:30 pm. We hope to see you there! | |
We are excited to announce that Schumacher Farm Park is on PocketSights! This app allows you to explore the park using GPS and mobile technology. It gives you an interactive tour, providing visual and audio information on the park's historical and natural features right from your phone. Click here to learn more and get the app.
Thank you to our Historical Committee members for carrying out this initiative.
| Artifact Spotlight - Wish List Artifact Found | |
We are pleased to have received one of our wish list artifacts from Pat and Agnes Breunig in Waunakee.
This Eagle model 75 cylinder steel frame silo filler/blower was manufactured by the Eagle Manufacturing Company in Appleton, WI, circa 1920.
Upright silos were used to store feed products, such as corn and other forms of silage. They were filled by a silo filler/blower that was powered by a belt hooked to a tractor. This machine
was stationed outside of the silo. As the stalks were fed into the filler, it cut the crop into small pieces and blew them up a pipe into the top of the silo. In the picture, the pipe is laying on top of the machine. It would have needed several extension pipes to reach the top of the silo.
The Eagle Manufacturing Company was founded in 1888 by the Saiberlich Brothers. Eagle made
a name with forage equipment and tractors.
Barb Johanningmeier - Historical Committee Volunteer
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We are happy that so many people are taking advantage of our facilities for their own private events! Our rental calendar for 2025 is already starting to fill up, particularly in spring for graduation parties. If you are interested in renting our space next year, please reach out to us ASAP!
More information about our rentals can be found here.
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This summer, Marcella's long time travel agent & friend, John Butters (pictured above), made a trip from his home in Arizona up to Wisconsin to check in on all the good things happening here at Schumacher Farm.
John was personally appointed by Marcella to be the trustee for the Marcella Schumacher Pendall Charitable Anuity Trust and served in that role for over 35 years.
During his visit this summer, staff and board members met with John to show him all that we have accomplished in the last few years, and to learn some more about who Marcella was as a person. John was happy to share stories of Marcella's adventures along with her travel group, WaunaGo.
John's recollections just helped to solidify what we already knew - Marcella was a force of a woman!
| Volunteer Appreciation Party | |
As a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, the Friends of Schumacher Farm rely on the continuous support of countless dedicated volunteers. From special events, to natural areas maintenance, to fundraising and so much more - our volunteers allow our small park to make a big impact in the surrounding communities.
On November 10th, we celebrated the service of these amazing folks with some food, drinks, and conversation. We are so lucky to have each and every one of our dedicated volunteers!
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Our Mission:
To provide a living history museum and nature conservancy that offers a representation of Dane County's Rural Heritage through preservation, restoration, and education.
The Friends of Schumacher Farm Park is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
5682 Hwy 19 Waunakee, WI 53597 | 608-849-4559 | info@schumacherfarmpark.org
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